Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Soup

You know what I find most challenging about blogging? It’s not coming up with ideas of what to make. My mind is swimming with them, so it’s just a matter of making a decision (says the girl who is notoriously indecisive). Uploading pictures is a bit time consuming, but with that, it’s picking which ones to use (more decisions…). Still, I don’t stress so much about that.

What I do struggle with is the words. What the heck do you say about food that hasn’t already been said? With all the blogs I read daily, I’m amazed with how many just seem to have a gift and love for writing. I am not one of those people. In school, I absolutely loathed writing papers, and they would literally paralyze me with fear and stress. We’re talking massive procrastinating, all-nighters, and sobbing fits…yes, tears, people! So why in the world have I made this a hobby? I mean, writing and making decisions?? Answer: I’m possibly a little bit crazy.

Writing for this is entirely different, though. I assure you that I am not shedding tears over composing blog posts! ;)

Unrelated (or not?): a few nights ago while I was sleeping, I bolted up in fear because I had a dream nightmare? that something had happened to this blog. Uh…okay, psychopants.

Anyway, here’s another recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which makes two in a row. She actually posted it quite recently, and I was intrigued to try it because we also still have eggplants and tomatoes hanging around here. While I loooove eggplant, I had never actually cooked one before! What is this madness?? Either way, problem: solved!

Deb made some suggestions for a spicier version of this soup (originally just “roasted eggplant soup”), and I was all over that. Instead of thyme, I used cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Some red peppers caught my eye at the store, so that’s why I swapped one for some of the tomatoes. While I don’t know what the original recipe is like, I imagine this is quite different. Eggplant and red pepper are both prominently pronounced, hence the title change. The color is also much more vibrant!

Preheat oven to 400F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, arrange the tomatoes, red pepper, eggplant, onion, and garlic, then drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 45 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to make sure the garlic isn’t burning. Remove the pan from the oven, and scoop the eggplant out of its skin (I ended up peeling the skin off). Add the roasted veggies and garlic to a large, heavy pot. Pour in the broth and add the spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a little bit. Working in batches, blend the mixture in a blender to desired consistency (I left mine a tad bit chunky). Return soup to pot, taste, and add cream, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, then stir in the fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Serve with feta, if desired. Queso fresca or cotija would also be good with this!

Makes 4-6 servings.

Leave out the cream and cheese for a yummy vegan (and lower-fat) version, of course!

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13 thoughts on “Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Soup”

A soup with roasted veggies and feta cheese is basically perfection in my world. This looks wonderful (and I love your square white bowl!). The temperature barely left the 50s all week in Morgantown, so it’s definitely soup weather up here :)

No worries about the struggle with words–one would never know it to read your blog! You seem like a natural with both food and writing about food, and you share some of the most creative recipes I love reading about.

It’s not really soup weather yet here, but I love roasted veggies and couldn’t pass this up! The bowl and most of the stuff I use is my roommates’…they’re married, so they’ve got almost everything while my stuff is packed away in storage!

Aww, thanks! You’re one of the bloggers whose writing style I admire. :)

You really don’t need fancy words. I think fancy words are annoying. It’s just pompous, like some nerd trying to show off his or her vocab. We know you’re a nerd already, shut up!

Anyway. I think it’s not about the prose, but being excited and passionate about what you’re trying to share, and saying it in your own distinct voice. We all have our “voice.” Find it, fine-tune it, practice it. Blogging is the best way to do it, since there are no grades! :)

this soup looks so good. I’m very into soups these days :) And I agree with a previous commenter, that it’s not about how good your writing is – it’s about being genuine and loving what you’re writing about. And clearly you’ve got that down :)

I had to smile when I read this – I had a “nightmare” the other night about losing my blog too… but, actually, it was in real life and my husband accidentally knocked it off line. He thought he fixed it, so we went out of town, but when we came back (several hours later) it was still offline and a spam site was in its place. He’s totally on time out.

Honestly, I’m thankful that he knows as much as he *does* know – he’s saved the day more times than I can count… and, while having a techie husband has its risks … if I didn’t have one, I’m not sure how the blog would hold up over time. I’d be working in “frames” or something… lol.